Global HIV

As one of the largest and long-standing providers of treatment and care to people affected by HIV in the world, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has developed specific positions on how this pandemic should best be addressed by the U.S. government and international organizations.

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Other Helpful Inforamtion

Learn more about global HIV and AIDS through the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS.

Groundbreaking legislation in the United States established the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. It was reauthorized in 2008 for the next five years and includes the following important provisions:

Authorizes $48 billion over five years to provide prevention, care, treatment and support services to people affected by HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries, especially in Africa.

Bolsters food and nutrition programs that are vital for HIV-affected populations.

Invests in growing the healthcare workforce in PEPFAR countries.

Maintains an effective conscience clause that allows religious organizations such as CRS to participate in PEPFAR without compromising adherence to our moral teachings.

CRS Policy Position

CRS is working to ensure that the provisions of the reauthorized PEPFAR program will be implemented according to the legislation. Specifically, CRS will focus on ensuring that:

Congress appropriates the full $48 billion for PEPFAR programs as authorized over the next five years. While the reauthorized PEPFAR legislation authorizes Congress to appropriate $48 billion over five years, the Congress must still actually make the funding available. Given budget constraints and other important priorities, CRS will advocate extensively so that the full funding is actually appropriated.

PEPFAR's focus on its foundational goals of saving lives, caring for people affected by HIV and preventing further spread of this deadly disease is preserved. CRS expects that there will be renewed efforts to integrate family planning and reproductive health services into PEPFAR programs, to eliminate the conscience clause, and to eliminate required balance in prevention programming—thus minimizing funding to promote abstinence and fidelity prevention components. Faith-based providers such as CRS would be unable to participate in PEPFAR if such services were mandated or if including such services were given preferential treatment when awarding PEPFAR funds.